Possibly the most commonly known ear cleaner is the appliance marketed under the tradename Q-Tip. This product comprises a wad of cotton fibers bonded onto one end of an elongated stem or handle. These products, however, suffer from multiple problems including a tendency of a user to insert the appliance too far into the ear canal and the tendency of the cotton fibers to dislodge and remain within the ear canal.
In any ear cleaning appliance, its is desired that the portion of the appliance which enters the ear canal be readily capable of grasping any encountered foreign matter and retain the same on the appliance for removal of the foreign matter when the appliance is withdrawn from the ear canal.
Moreover, it is desirable that the appliance not be so rigid as to be capable of doing serious damage to the ear when inserted into the ear canal. Further, desirably, the ear cleaning appliance is disposable after one use, hence its cost of production should be minimal. For this latter reason, not only the cost of the raw materials employed in the appliance is of concern, but the cost of the actual manufacture of the appliance is important.